I've managed to get bored with all my other creations so whilst wondering what I could do next I found a set of plans on the internet and thought… Hmmmm… like you do.

I wanted something no larger than 1 metre in length (because I'd struggle to get anything bigger in the car) and this one came in at 1250mm or thereabouts so it had to be scaled down slightly. Not a problem and construction began in earnest. My preferred medium is plastic (shock horror) so all the various bits were scanned into a cutter and the parts made. I tend to use laminated 20 thou styrene which is strong but surprisingly light and easy to work with.

I've already had a lot of help and advice from various people on another site (which shall remain nameless) but for reasons of actually daring to have an opinion about something, I was summarily banned. If anyone here was a contributor to my thread over there then I'd like to thank them for all their assistance.

Anyway, the build so far:

The superstructure (which is removable at this stage) is almost complete, the motors, radio gear and battery are in the garage waiting for me to decide where to place them. I intend to sort of plank the hull using long 4x2mm balsa 'planks' with a coat of epoxy on the inside for both strength and waterproofing.

More bits:

The rear cabin bar/lounge area. This will eventually be populated with G scale figures and properly stocked and illuminated.

The rear sun deck area. This area will have a 'canvas' canopy draped over it eventually and maybe a table.

The pilot house. All but finished with real wood cladding on the walls. Chintzy.

The other boat. Not sure what to call this really. Is it a lifeboat? Is it just a get you to and from boat? Whatever, the basic shell is one my great uncle built about 50 years ago. All I've done is pimp it up a little with a rudder and a tarp.

That's it for now. There's lots more bits and pieces to do, not least of which is clad the hull and sand off those very rough deck planks but that's for another day.

Thanks for reading

Andy

BTW in case anyone's wondering, Mahealani is a Hawaiian word which translates as heavenly moonlight or heavenly mist depending upon who you listen to. In my case it was a pleasant young lady in Lahaina, Maui a few years ago.

Not as far as I'm concerned

To be honest, I think doing the interesting stuff first is a mistake and it's one I always make. It's just that I get bored doing planks.

Important stuff that I forgot to mention earlier.

Twin motors (385's as per recommendation), twin rudders, 9.6v NiMH (again as recommended) and a Viper Marine 15 ESC.

On that other site  I saw an interesting video of a similar craft all fancied up with party lights so I've invested a whole £1.79 on a string of coloured LEDs to drape along the boat. 

Gaudy or what?

Edited By Andrew Fallows on 16/07/2020 17:37:22

So with all the superstructure removed, hull planking began in earnest today.

One side is almost complete and I've done about 2" of the other side. This much has taken all day….. it's going to be a long job.

My plan is once it's all planked then I will sand it all smooth-ish then cover & dope(?) it. Once I'm happy with that I'll skim it with Isopon and resin the inside.

Any thoughts on this plan of action? I'm open to suggestions.

So. Latest progress pictures.

As usual, superstructure & fittings placed for photographic effect. There is still a lot of filling/finish fitting to do on the hull itself but it's getting there.

About a week ago I decided to tackle the coat of paint that was needed on the hull. I ended up with a beautifully smooth glossy white finish that was practically perfect in every way. I was really pleased with myself and thought – I'll finish that off nicely with a coat of protective lacquer, like you do.

Disaster!

Some sort of reaction between the paint and the lacquer and everything bubbled off. Not happy, I had to strip it all back and start again. That's all done now and this time I'll be using yacht varnish on it. Well it is a yacht, innit? What could possibly go wrong? (I have sandpaper and new paint on standby)

This is how she looks now, complete with party lights